By Oliver Thompson
Kirklees councillors have agreed a plan to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping across the borough.
The Kirklees Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy (KPHRSS) was approved by the Kirklees Council and aim to prevent people from becoming homeless, including rough sleepers.
The strategy is focused on helping people to develop skills, resilience and improvement to their health and wellbeing, so that vulnerable people can live independent and more stable lives.
As mentioned in the report, a number of solutions have been put forward to end rough sleeping, such as improving and extending emergency responses and including dealing with the impacts of adverse weather conditions.
The nationwide figures have risen to an estimated 320,000 homeless people – 12,600 more than last year.
There are thought to be more than 200 people homeless in Kirklees, according to a new report from the housing charity Shelter. Nearly 97% of this number are in temporary accommodation, the remaining number were recorded as sleeping rough on the streets of Huddersfield.
The figures also suggest that one in every 1665 people in Kirklees are homeless, to place that in context, the City of Leeds has a ratio of one in every 8794 people are homeless.
Cllr Cathy Scott, Cabinet Member for Housing, commented:
“This is a crucial step forward for us as a borough. We want Kirklees to be a place where no one has to sleep rough on our streets, where no one is excluded, and where the support to prevent and end homelessness is available for everyone.
“This strategy will help us to work on delivering a wide range of support to the many complex issues faced by the most vulnerable in our communities so we can make a real difference to their lives.”
To read the Full Council report click here